NEWARK — Prosecutors in the opening of trial of Jose Carranza, one of the six defendants in the 2007 Newark schoolyard killing, outlined their case this morning focusing on the most compelling piece of evidence against him: his fingerprint on still-cold bottle of beer at the crime scene.

Carranza, is charged with murder, robbery and other offenses in connection with the attack at Mount Vernon School that left three people dead. Carranza, 32, is also charged with sexually assaulting the only survivor of the attack, Natasha Aeriel.

In his opening statement, Assistant Prosecutor Romesh Sukhdeo said the fingerprint was found after investigators processed the crime scene and is one of several pieces of evidence, that he plans to introduce.

“His fingerprint was on a beer bottle right next to a pool of Natasha Aeriel’s blood,” he said, pointing to Carranza.

But in his opening statement, Carranza’s lawyer John Dell'Italia, said a fingerprint is limited evidence.

“A fingerpint does not testify,” he said. “It does not tell you when that individual touched that bottle” or how long that person was there. He added: “Fingerprints do not talk.
Four other defendants have already been tried or pleaded guilty in the case. Rodolfo Godinez, Alexander Alfaro and Melvin Jovel are all serving life sentences. Last month, another defendant, Shahid Baskerville, pleaded guilty to reduced charges in exchange for his testimony against Carranza and Gerardo Gomez, who is awaiting trial.

Baskerville, who will be sentenced in March, told Superior Court Judge Michael L. Ravin at a hearing last month that Carranza slashed Aeriel’s neck with a steak knife during the attack; three other victims, Aeriel’s brother, Terrance Aeriel, 18, Iofemi Hightower and Dashon Harvey, both 20, all died from gunshot wounds to the head.

Investigators say that fingerprint evidence places Carranza in the schoolyard and Aeriel has identified him as one of the attackers. Carranza, who is serving an eight-year prison sentence in an unrelated case and was free on bail when the schoolyard killings occurred, has maintained his innocence.